Silchar, April 4: The fear of being excluded from the National Register of Citizens (NRC), currently being updated in Assam, prompted many citizens across the Barak Valley to line up outside polling booths for the first time today.
Abhinaba Chakraborty, 37, from Silchar constituency, Pratima Rani Das, 28, from Borkhola, Birobroto Dutta, 33, from Dholai and Rejamul Ali, 53, from Algapur were just some of those who came to vote just to ensure that their names were not deleted from the NRC. This correspondent met many such people who voted only because of this fear.
"I have not cast my vote for the past 10 years as I had no interest in elections. But this time I did not skip it out of fear that my name may get deleted from the NRC," said Chakraborty, who works in a private firm.
The NRC is being updated in Assam based on the National Register of Citizens, 1951, and electoral rolls up to the midnight of March 24, 1971. The sole purpose of this exercise is to detect illegal migrants living in Assam.
Along with other necessary documents, people trying to include their names in the NRC also have to submit their family trees at the NRC seva kendras.
"Although it's not something to be proud of, I had also skipped voting. This time the NRC is being updated in Assam and I came to know from some people that the government may delete the names of people who do not cast their votes in the Assembly elections. I had to face a lot of trouble collecting the necessary documents for NRC update and so I do not want to take any risks," said Bhor, who cast his vote at 1035 Janata Lower Primary School in Dholai constituency.
An election official, however, told The Telegraph that there was no link between the NRC update process and voting. "It's our right and everyone should cast a vote in the elections. The process of updating NRC is going on in Assam and it does not have any link with casting votes in elections," the official said.
But the rumours swirling around forced Pratima Rani Das, who had never voted in her life, to exercise her franchise on the insistence of her mother.
"I never used to vote because I knew that the situation would remain the same. My parents voted in every election but what did they get? Our road condition worsened, industries closed down and poverty rose. Can you give me the assurance that my vote will make a change?" Das said.
